Mission Accomplished
by yukuro
Summary: Yuuri finds that the results of the expidentures of the kitten he found usually lead him to trouble. Good thing Conrad is there to look out for him. [ConradxYuuri]


**Disclaimer:** I own nothing that is useful D:

**Pairing:** Conrad x Yuuri

**Note:** Beware. Fluff and experimental writing. Theme: 5) mission accomplished

**Mission Accomplished**

_By: yukuro_

When he saw how much Greta loved the stray kitten they had found on the road, it was impossible for Yuuri to say "no" to keeping the mischievous little thing. Fuuri, the kitten was thereafter named (suggested with an amused grin by Murata, who never quite forgot the "Shibuya yuuri, Harajuku fuuri" joke). Fuuri was a clean blend of white and black, with slightly short and stubby legs and a plump tail. It really was rather cute, clearly confirmed by Gwendal's dignified—Gwendal was always dignified—blush whenever Fuuri weaved himself around Gwendal's long legs while purring loudly.

So all was well. Greta had a new playmate, Anissina had someone who would _appreciate_ her inventions (by appreciate, she meant actually playing with them), Gwendal personally made sure Fuuri was well taken care of, and…well, that was pretty much it, as Fuuri seemed to cause far more trouble than it seemed possible for a tiny kitten such as he. Oh sure, Fuuri was adorable and everyone loved him, but he tended to get himself into stupid situations that he later found difficult to get himself out of. Wolfram was the first to say aloud that Fuuri resembled Yuuri a great deal (even in looks, really), but he was not the first to notice. Conrad had been the one to point out, however, that those were just more endearing qualities he had. No one was really sure whether he was speaking of Fuuri or Yuuri, but they figured it was all the same.

In the span of one week, Fuuri had caused commotion with everyone in the castle, innocently of course. The poor thing seemed as if he had just about no learning ability, only making Wolfram even more convinced he resembled Yuuri. In attempt to retrieve the ball that Günter had previously confiscated (he had taken it while he was attempting to give Yuuri a lesson and Fuuri seemed determined to frisk at their heels) and placed on the top shelf, Fuuri had jumped up on the bookshelf and accidentally knocked over nearly all books on the shelves in the process. Günter was devastated, but seeing Fuuri's completely innocent expression made him give up and slowly begin to return the books to their proper places with a tear in his eye. As an apology, Fuuri purred at Günter's side and placed the ball trustingly at the man's feet (which, unfortunately, caused Günter a tumble when he stepped on it—and thus knocking all the books off the shelf again).

With his rather short legs, it was difficult for Fuuri to jump great lengths, vertically or horizontally, so whenever the poor kitten somehow got himself stuck on a high windowsill or the top of bookcases, Conrad was usually called to retrieve him again. Yuuri had witnessed one time when Conrad was gently coaxing Fuuri towards him with a gentle smile and his usual kind radiance. The scene in itself made Yuuri smile. Warmth filled his heart as Fuuri padded towards Conrad, mewing happily at the attention. Yuuri knew Fuuri would go to Conrad. They were alike, after all. If Conrad had approached _him_ with that same smile, Yuuri was sure he would have happily ran into the man's arms too.

Today, they were on a mission. Greta had burst into Yuuri's room early in the morning with tears in her eyes to exclaim that Fuuri was missing. The utterly heartbreaking expression on the girl's face was enough to even make Wolfram snap wide awake, a feat that normally took plenty of shaking and the occasional glass of water over the head. The three scrambled out of the room instantly, only to be ordered (more like pleaded, actually) by Günter to at least _put on some decent clothes_. Yuuri took one glance at Wolfram's nightgown and readily agreed, retreating back into his room at a light jog to hurriedly get dressed.

The castle was in an uproar. Maids, guards, and even a few soldiers were running about, looking for the kitten. Ever corner, windowsill, and bedroom in the castle had been checked, yet there was still no sign of Fuuri. When Greta began to look disheartened, Yuuri reassured her they would find Fuuri. After all, everyone was putting in their best effort. And, as it turns out, that effort paid off. Just as Yuuri finished his statement, there was a shout from the garden that Fuuri had been spotted. Exchanging glances, Yuuri, Greta, and Wolfram dashed out at top speed towards the source of the call.

When they met the maid who had called out, Conrad and the others had already arrived. Just as they were about to question the whereabouts of the kitten, a familiar mew from above caught their attention. Everyone craned their necks up, and sure enough, Fuuri sat on a high branch of the tree they present stood next to. For a kitten that was stuck on a tree, Fuuri looked a bit overly excited by the sight of everyone below waving their arms and calling up to him.

So now the problem was actually getting him down. A few soldiers attempted to climb up the tree, but when Fuuri saw someone he did not recognize coming towards him, he only rose higher up the tree, half thinking this was some kind of game of chase. After the third soldier had failed to retrieve Fuuri, Yuuri let out a sigh before patting the teary Greta's head and stepping up towards the tree with determination set in his face. It only took a second for the protests to break out again.

"I'll be fine," Yuuri reassured everyone with a slight wave of his hand and a grin on his face. He patted the tree trunk with his free hand and stated, "I used to climb trees all the time when I was younger. This little tree is nothing!"

"Actually, it's almost five meters tall, Shibuya," Murata pointed out with a bit more cheer than seemed appropriate for the moment. As the other dark haired boy frowned at him, Murata chuckled and turned to face the worried company before him. "There's no need to worry," he said with a trusting smile. "If Shibuya says he can do it, he'll be fine. If he falls, well, there are plenty of us to catch him."

This idea did not sit too well with the others. Especially Günter, who was presently spouting tears of concern like a fountain with too much water compressed in the pipeline. Wolfram was angrily mumbling to himself about how there was no way a wimp like Yuuri would be capable of scaling that tall a tree. Gwendal's eyebrow was twitching, and that said everything. Anissina offered to invent some sort of super stretch claw to retrieve Fuuri, but Gwendal promptly, and firmly, said, "_NO_."

Yuuri frowned slightly at the commotion going around behind him. Just as he was about to open his mouth to say something, Conrad placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Blinking, Yuuri looked up and saw Conrad's gentle smile directed at him. It was a smile that told him Conrad believed in him, and that thought alone gave Yuuri all the confidence and determination he needed. While the others behind him still bickered, he jumped up to the first branch with a little boost from Conrad and Yozak.

"_Conrad_!" Wolfram exclaimed in irritation, stomping over to his older brother. Absolutely livid, he demanded loudly, "What are you _thinking_? Yuuri could fall and get hurt! A wimp like him can't climb a tree that tall!"

Conrad simply smiled in return before stating calmly, "I believe he can do anything he puts his mind to. Don't you?"

At that, Wolfram was silenced, as well as everyone else in the vicinity. Greta instantly agreed and began cheering Yuuri on as the young maou made his way up the tree. Slowly, one by one, the remaining soldiers and nobles raised their gazes up to follow Yuuri with their eyes. Conrad's words and unshakeable faith in Yuuri had given them all something to think about. No one understood Yuuri quite as well as Conrad did. Perhaps that was why Yuuri seemed to love Conrad the most.

With a determined expression inset on his face, Yuuri persistently climbed up the tree. At the sight of Yuuri coming up towards him, Fuuri remained rooted to his spot and happily mewed as if beckoning him closer. Yuuri was relieved to find that Fuuri was not retreating higher up into the tree as he had been doing with everyone else that attempted to make their way up. He could faintly hear Greta and several others cheering him on. At this, his determination swelled a bit. Everyone was relying on him. There was no way he could betray their expectations and, of course, let Conrad down.

The soldiers and maids were holding their breath below, and everyone stood tensely still. It seemed Günter's loud praying had paid off, as Yuuri finally successfully reached Fuuri and held the purring kitten securely in his arms. The group below collectively let out a breath of relief as Yuuri happily waved from his spot up on the tree. Now that Fuuri had finally been captured, the remainder of the mission would be getting back down the ground—a task quite possibly more difficult, considering Yuuri now only had one free arm. Günter began to pull on his own hair in worry and frustration while more tears sprouted from his eyes.

Up above, Yuuri was beginning to feel slightly nervous. He had just realized how high up he actually was after making the mistake to glance down as he was descending. He had always thought climbing down the tree was harder than climbing up it. He unconsciously hugged Fuuri a bit closer as he lowered himself slightly again. The fear of falling was beginning to nag at him.

Then, at that moment, as if reading his mind, Conrad called up from below, "Even if you fall, Yuuri, I promise I'll be here to catch you!"

Heart completely filled again, Yuuri gripped the branch tighter and lowered his foot onto the next branch with Fuuri snuggling up against his chest. The lower he got, the more relieved he felt, as did the rest of the company waiting nervously below. It seemed disaster was bound to strike though, as it always did. Just as Yuuri was nearing the branch on which he could hop safely to the ground, the present branch he was standing on suddenly let out a deafening crack before completely giving out and releasing Yuuri into the air.

A panic burst out below. Yuuri let out a shout and squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the fall. There was general chaos everywhere. Just before he hit the ground, strong arms caught him and pulled him tightly into an embrace, blocking the fall. Yuuri opened his eyes slowly to find himself in Conrad's lap with the man smiling gently down at him. Fuuri let out a mew of approval.

"I promised, didn't I?" Conrad said with a smile, hugging the boy tightly. "You did well, Yuuri. Mission accomplished."

Smiling back brightly, Yuuri leaned forward more to allow Conrad to embrace him tighter. Closing his eyes, he laughed, "Thanks, Conrad."

The soldiers and maids began to applause, as Günter shed even greater tears of relief, seeing that Yuuri was indeed safe. As the two on the ground snuggled a bit more than was probably necessary, Murata was vaguely reminded of a scene he had seen in a shoujou manga once and grinned at the memory. Really, it was a shame he was unable to somehow find a camera and take a picture of this moment. He was quite sure that Yuuri's mother would rather enjoy witnessing evidence of this scene if possible. Unfortunate indeed. Fuuri seemed to be enjoying his position between the two, as he curled up and began to purr loudly. On the side, Wolfram was heatedly declaring Yuuri a philanderer, but Yuuri was too busy enjoying the sensation of Conrad's hug to notice.

Then all was well, and all castle dwellers returned to their usual duties. Greta chastised Fuuri for causing everyone, especially Yuuri, so much trouble, but since Fuuri happened to be like Yuuri, the kitten probably had not learned his lesson. He simply smiled in his kitten-way up at the girl before curling up in her lap and purring happily.

Yuuri was not too terribly bothered by the outcome of the day. The day's mission had been accomplished and everything had returned to normal. Wolfram was still angrily calling him a wimp, Günter was still sobbing in relief while Murata was still attempting to get him to stop, the twitch in Gwendal's eyebrow had ceased, and Conrad was still smiling gently at him in they way that made him feel as if he could achieve anything. With Conrad's smile, he had once again been reassured that he was well taken care of here.

It had been a good day after all.

Owari.


End file.
